Last Thursday, People published reports that Nina Dobrev and Shaun White have called it quits after five years together.
The split comes less than a year after Nina and Shaun got engaged in October 2024, and in light of how beloved they were as a power couple, it’s safe to say that fans were a little blindsided by the whole thing.
The last time they were seen together was just a few weeks ago on Aug. 31, walking hand in hand in Los Angeles. Neither Nina nor Shaun has personally commented on the split, although, when the news first broke, a source told People that it was a “mutual decision, and wasn’t an easy one, but it was made with love and a deep respect for one another.”
But now, we’ve got another update, and it sounds like things may not have been so clear-cut.
On Sept. 16, People published a subsequent story citing multiple sources who claimed that the breakup came down to the fact that Nina wanted to get married and have kids, but Shaun was not on the same page.
“She is devastated,” one insider claimed. “There was one reason: She wanted a family and wanted to get married — and he didn’t.” They added that Nina is currently out of the country and being “supported by family” at this time.
However, there is yet more conflicting information, as another source insisted that both Nina and Shaun “wanted marriage and kids” and that the split “wasn’t just one-sided.” “They both wanted marriage and children and were making plans to have a life together,” a “friend” of the couple told People in the same article.
As we said, neither Nina nor Shaun has directly addressed the breakup reports. However, on Sept. 7, Nina made a public appearance without her engagement ring on, and she also appears to have unpinned her engagement post from the top of her Instagram page.
On Sept. 5, Nina also posted a TikTok mouthing the words to an audio giving “advice for women trying to fix their man.” “Listen, Bob the Builder, he’s got 10 other women trying to fix him too,” the audio said, “and you all look like a damn construction crew.” Nina captioned the post with some construction emojis, and fans are now wondering if the clip was an early hint towards something going on in her personal life.
Meanwhile, Shaun shared an Instagram post on Sept. 15, celebrating his first trip to Beijing since the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, where he announced his retirement from competitive snowboarding. He did not mention Nina, and comments on the post appear to have been limited.
Well, this whole thing still feels pretty shocking to me! BuzzFeed has reached out to Nina and Shaun’s representatives for comment.